Roll up, roll up fans of Broods, Grimes, Massive Attack or Portishead; if you’re not having a listen to London based FKA twigs, then you’re not getting the sexiest and most delicious new electronic tunes for your ear-holes. Born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, FKA twigs is a singer-songwriter and producer phenom that delivers track after track of seriously meaningful work. From the first song, ‘Preface’; she is like some kind of digital Valkyrie in mid war cry; a sensual sonic siren, drawing you into the delights that are about to unfold. As always with art of any kind, it’s subjective; but to my ear this album reads as an itinerary of a relationship. Burgeoning desires, flowing into tentative trust exchanged between two lovers is apparent on ‘Lights On’; FKA twigs coos about “the way that you handle your size” to her imagined lover and it’s a beautiful and exposed dedication of intent…complete with an actual siren flourish wailing into percussive cool.
Album highlights include; ‘Two Weeks’ – which on first listen is a bit of a shocking, forceful statement of sexual ferocity, but over time develops into a beyond catchy anthem; and if the first two songs mentioned carry themes of the initial flourishes of lust and declarations of desire; then “Hours” is the solid connection of two souls and ambles with a lush, garden of Eden atmosphere, a hot ‘n’ sultry almost jungle beats laden track with little pops and bloops that delight. “Pendulum” has just underneath the almost choral flow that FKA twigs delivers, a picked out guitar progression that seriously, I don’t know why, but it reminds me of ‘Buffalo Soldier’…which is so freaking cool. I hope that ‘LP1′ becomes many new couples’ “album”…the soundtrack to their love; and why not?! It’s sensual, emotive and forces emotions perhaps never felt into the open, as FKA twigs questions the imagined lover: “Do you feel nervous…can you feel that? That’s the feeling of me thinking about you”.
As perfect love can sometimes dissolve into damaged affairs of the heart; there’s also plenty of brooding to be had on ‘LP1’; check out ‘Numbers’ for the forlorn realisations of love wasted on an undeserving shit and perhaps the lengths the jilted will go to in rectifying their hurt; while ‘Video Girls’ is a gnashing, jealous love note paired with a light skipping beat that melts into a disorientating fast-slow tempo…catching and releasing you into the melody. ‘Give Up’ is probably the track that will cross-over and provide the greatest calling card for this incredibly talented and skilled artist, it’s caring and positive but most importantly is the kind of song that will stay in your head for days and days; a great benefit of which is that you’ll find yourself repeating the mantra delivered by FKA twigs: “Just nod your head and get up, I’m not gonna let you give up babe”. Nice.
A superb album that’s just waiting for you to make your move…if you can handle it.